Without Hesitation
by MissTinyTinyT91
Summary: "Kuga-sama, now you know you are going to die tomorrow, was your crime worth it?" "Worth it? Probably not. But if I had the chance, I'd go back and do it all over again... without a second thought." AU with an 18th Century setting. ShizNat.
1. Judgement Day

**A/N:**** Hello there wonderful people, Tiny again with the first chapter to a new story, my first attempt at writing a story set in ye olde times (think late 1700's, so pretty dresses and flintlock pistols and... yeah like Natsuki would ever been seen dead in a dress!) The idea came to me in a (please don't judge me) alcohol-induced dream and I thought after changing a few parts of it, I could actually make a ShizNat story out of it so... viola! **

**Disclaimer: All characters belong to Sunrise, asking them for Christmas didn't work but it's my birthday in a few weeks so I'll ask for them then!**

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><p>Without Hesitation<p>

Judgement Day

_6,7,8 chimes... it must be time then,_ she thought as she opened her forest green eyes and raised her head to gaze at the stone walls that encircled her. 8 o'clock. Any minute now her jailer will walk down the concrete steps, the keys to the cells dangling from his belt, open up the iron door to her cell and escort her out of the building into the room where she would be told of her punishment. From there, who knew what would happen? She sure as hell didn't, but if she had to hazard a guess, she would have to assume her days were numbered. Her life cut short... too short.

But what a life the young girl had lived.

A familiar sound rang through the hallway leading to her cell. _Keys... footsteps... my jailer is here then._ The young girl took a deep breath as she stood up slowly from the concrete floor and dusted herself off before smoothing down her tattered and rugged prisoner's clothing as she waited for the door to slide open.

Tatsuhiko Zaycech was not a very imposing man, if anything he was far from it, however he had on many occasions proved to be an efficient jailer and Keeper of Keys for the Royal House of Artai and so he was a formidable foe if it ever came to it. He was young, a few years younger than the young woman he held in his care and the one he watched with curious eyes- how she looked so calm he had no idea. Maybe she had been slipped something to quell her nerves... but then again, no. She was a noble, born to rule and born to a family who ruled with an Iron fist, taught from the day she was born to feel no fear and to welcome death when it fell upon her.

Natsuki Kuga was a princess... a warrior.

Zaycech cleared his throat and with a twist of the key, the door was easily slid open "Princess, it is time. I will escort you now to the court." The young man said quickly and quietly as he bowed to the dark-haired woman. He tried to find any hint of emotion in her face, yet he could not. Whatever she was made of was truly strong stuff.

"Very well." Natsuki sighed softly as she glanced once more at the four stone walls that had been for the last few weeks her prison, and her home as Zaycech placed the handcuffs around her wrists. She had no idea whether she would see those walls again; however she sure wasn't going to miss them if she wouldn't.

The long walk to the Courts was spent mostly in silence, apart from the chains of the handcuffs hitting each other occasionally and Zaycech's futile attempts to make small talk with the young princess. For a moment, Natsuki considered whether it was worth it to attempt to strangle the young man with the chain from the handcuffs- it's not like she wasn't in enough trouble as it was- however she decided against and consigned herself to just imagining she could do it.

When the prisoner and her jailer reached the Courts- a superimposing building located in the centre of Artai's capital city Fuuka- Natsuki felt a bead of sweat trickle down her face. The fear had begun to set in and she felt her heart race erratically... what if this was the last day of her life? There was still so much more she had to do with her life, how could it all end now?

"Stop here, we'll wait for you to be announced and then we-"

"I know how the damn system works." Natsuki snapped impatiently as she balled her hands into fists. Perhaps she was a lot more nervous than she had anticipated, then again, she had a tendency to feel more apprehensive about something just minutes before it happened.

Suddenly a voice called out from behind the two huge oak doors that led into the courtroom where Natsuki waited nervously "Natsuki Kuga, come to court."

"I guess that's us then." Zaycech murmured to no-one as he signalled for Natsuki to follow him through the doors, where they were immediately flanked by two huge men who escorted the prisoner to the stand at the front of the room, whilst one guard pulled out the chair and motioned for Natsuki to sit. The stand was more like a table and it faced the back of the room where the witnesses, the jury, the judge and the ruling family would sit if they wished to. In front of Natsuki, there was a large semi-circular table where five, very old, thin and bony men sat. In the middle sat the judge with his elaborate robes of red and purple material.

To Natsuki's left sat the nobles of Artai and the higher-ups, the main players in Artai's military and her very own subordinates. And to her right, to her right sat her accuser, her enemy, her King and her brother, and he sat, watching with his ever present smile etched across his face. Perhaps it wouldn't be fair to say she had always hated her elder brother Reito, but it was becoming increasingly difficult to remember a time where the two of them had actually got along or hadn't tried to kill each other.

However there was one face in the crowd that Natsuki had been desperate to see, yet couldn't have felt more disappointed when she couldn't see it anywhere. When she couldn't see the face of the person she loved most in the world, the person she was willing to die for, Natsuki felt sick to her stomach with worry. _Where is she? Where is Shizuru?_

"State your name for the records please." Natsuki drew her attention away from the crowd at the sound of the judge's deep yet shaky voice.

"Natsuki Kuga, Princess and Joint Commander in Chief of the National Army of Artai." Natsuki spoke clearly and calmly and she allowed herself to smile slightly with pride- she wasn't about to show fear. Not now and certainly not ever.

"Natsuki Kuga, you stand here today in this court accused of the following crimes: Regicide, conspiracy to Regicide, treason and the attempted kidnap of our beloved Queen consort Shizuru Fujino. You entered a plea of guilty and we have found you to be so, therefore your punishment as agreed upon unanimously by this esteemed council-" Natsuki hung her head low and closed her viridian eyes as she waited for the Judge to decide her fate "- in accordance to our law is that you shall be executed tomorrow at dawn. The manner of which shall be by either being burned or beheaded at our King's pleasure."

Natsuki opened her eyes and straightened her back. She felt an odd feeling stirring in her stomach. Today would be her last day on this Earth and she had absolutely no idea what to make of it. Was she sad? Not particularly. She wasn't exactly doing leaps for joy at the verdict either. Maybe she was just... content? The young princess smiled slightly, causing murmurs of confusion amongst the crowd- the girl was just told she was going to be executed... yet why was she smiling?

"If you could indulge me, might I ask a question?" One of the elderly men beside the Judge was the one who spoke and so Natsuki focused her gaze on him "You may."

"Now you know you are going to die tomorrow, was your crime worth it?"

Natsuki's smile grew wider as she gently shook her head "Worth it? Probably not. But if I had the chance, I'd go back and do it all over again... without a second thought."

_Yes, definitely without a second thought._

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><p>She had declined the offer of a priest to hear her last confession- she didn't feel the need when practically anyone with ears knew what had taken place. The betrayal of Princess Natsuki and the affair between her and her sister-in-law, the Queen was a hot topic even across the borders into the neighbouring countries. She didn't quite know how the public viewed it. Was she seen as a traitor? Was she seen as a romantic? That last thought made her chuckle slightly. For as long as she could remember, the very idea of talking to women made her freeze up and make her sweat in horror of having to do such a thing. Well, most women anyway.<p>

The prospect of dying tomorrow brought to mind thoughts of her eldest brother. Haruki had been the heir to the throne and everyone- especially Natsuki- loved him and idolised him. The perfect young boy grew up to be the perfect young man, the jewel of the House of Kuga and the bond between the young prince and princess was seemingly unbreakable.

Yet, disaster fell upon the Royal House ten years ago when Natsuki was 15 and Haruki was only 23, on a diplomatic trip overseas. The ship the shining Prince had been travelling on had been besieged by pirates belonging from Artai's rival nation and eldest enemy Carlteya. The pirates took the prince captive and, even after the ransom had been paid, needlessly slaughtered the eldest son- tossing his lifeless corpse overboard. That was that day that the young 15 year old princess made a vow to herself and in her strongest voice declared to all those that could hear it, that she wouldn't rest until she could avenge her brother's death and take the life of the pirate that murdered her beloved brother.

She had been patient, and after two years had passed and the opportunity had arrived, she took her chance and pierced the pirate's cold heart in front of her own crew, fulfilling her vow. Artai had a new heir to the throne in Reito, the weaker, less popular second son and Natsuki at only 17 had a fierce reputation.

Natsuki sighed and hung her head low. Haruki would never have done what she did and although she wished every day that Haruki was alive, she couldn't help but think herself glad that he wasn't alive to see her there, rotting in that cell.

With now only less than twelve hours to live. She knew the look of disappointment on the young man's face would have been too hard to bear.

The young princess wiped a tear from her cheek and jumped up to her feet when she heard the door to her prison open and close behind her with an almighty clang.

"Who's there?" She called out, thanking the deities that her voice was strong and didn't quiver with emotion.

"It is me, Zaycech and a guest for you." Zaycech called out in response as he ferried his companion through the narrow corridor and stopped outside the disgraced princess' cell.

"Oh, I thought I wasn't allowed any visitors Zaycech."

Zaycech smiled and nodded, and then realised the princess wouldn't have seen the motion "Er yes well... I have been ordered to have you re-tell your accounts of what took place before your incarceration, just for the court's gratification. I have with me a clerk from the courts, one I'm sure you will be familiar with so when you're done, just call for me."

Natsuki frowned as she walked up to the door "One I'm familiar with? What the hell is this Zaycech?" she asked as she stood back and watched with her enchanting emerald eyes as a hooded figure walked into the middle of the cell.

Natsuki felt her heart leap for joy as she saw the familiar spectacles and charcoal grey hair of one of her most dearest of friends "Chie, what are you doing here?" she exclaimed with a smile as the boyish looking young woman pulled back her hood and removed her cloak.

"Just checking up on you Natsuki-kun. Gods it's good to see you." Chie beamed a smile at her friend as she pulled the princess into a short hug.

"Hmm, it's great to see a familiar face. Even if it's yours."

Chie chuckled and then sighed sadly as she studied her friend's face. The young princess laughed and smiled, but there was no real happiness in her laughs. She knew that although Natsuki- and the rest of the Kugas- were made of strong stuff which made their spirit near indestructible, but Natsuki, after everything she had been through, the wear and tear showed through clearly. It was good to see that the dark-haired princess hadn't gone insane like many prisoners did in these walls, but Chie knew that the fact that Natsuki was approaching her last hours of being alive was ripping the princess to shreds from the inside.

"Natsuki-kun, I'm happy to see you but... Zaycech spoke the truth about why I'm here. I'll need you to start from the beginning about what happened, I need you to tell me about Shizuru-joou and... and why you're here." Chie spoke softly and quietly. She noticed the wince from her friend as she heard that name from the clerk's lips and knew that the task that lay ahead of the young princess was not going to be easy.

"You know the story Chie. Practically everyone in the Seven kingdoms knows it... and their grandmothers" Natsuki clenched her jaw as she turned away from her friend.

"I know, but I'm only doing what I've been told. You refused a priest to hear your confession, this isn't a confession, this is your last chance, your only chance to tell the world what happened here."

Natsuki turned around "What's the point?" she yelled.

"What's the point in digging up the past when nothing that gets said or done will ever change it? Even if I tell you everything, even if the judges or that bastard my brother, reads my account I will still be a head shorter in the morning regardless." Natsuki took a deep breath and fell back onto her poor excuse for a bed, holding her head in her hands.

"You're right. It won't change anything... right now, but you know as well as I do that the King has enemies, least of all within this country and army." Chie crouched down in front of her friend and looked deep into the woman's eyes "He thinks he's untouchable. He thinks that once you're dead he is completely safe... your words will destroy him."

Chie smirked when she knew her words had struck a chord and the princess raised her head "If you want them to, of course."

Natsuki leaned back so her back hit the wall behind her and bit her lip as she thought through her options- as few and as equally impossible as they were. Bringing her brother to ruin and exacting some well deserved payback sounded good, originally that was the only thing she cared about for the first few days of her incarceration. The only thing that she wanted, what she craved, what she desired was to set her eyes upon Shizuru's face one last time. If she could see her love's face just one last time before she died, she would die a fulfilled and happy woman... but she knew that would never be allowed, why would her brother give her this small amount of satisfaction?

"Fine."

"Hmm?" Chie lifted her gaze from the floor to her friend.

"Where do you want me to start?" Natsuki asked as she saw the smile creep up on her friend's face. She knew that not only did Chie feel slightly smug over getting Natsuki to agree to do it, but she felt happy knowing that even if she was going to be dead, she was still going to be able to bring down her brother from the other side.

Chie stood up and walked to her bag which she had placed on the table. She pulled out the chair from it and sat down, arranging her materials to begin writing her friend's testament.

"The beginning... that's usually a good place to start right?" Chie smirked as she took the lid of her vial of ink, however as she turned her head to look at Natsuki, she felt a rather cold and unpleasant shiver run down her spine as she met Natsuki's glare. Chie gulped "Or you know... we could start from when you first met Shizuru-sama?"

Natsuki cocked a slender brow "Well this isn't exactly how I planned to spend the last day of my life... then again I didn't exactly plan on things being the way they are."

"Sorry about that, looks like you're stuck with me if it's any consolation." Chie offered a warm smile and Natsuki reciprocated it.

"Let's get to work shall we?"

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><p><em>One year before...<em>

Natsuki gazed up at the bleak grey sky and shut her eyes as she felt a gust of wind breeze over her cheeks. She had come out to the palace gardens in search of some solitude, even if it meant just a few stolen moments alone with her thoughts. She had found a bench and laid herself upon it, gazing up at the sky as the world continued to spin around her. Just as she was feeling awash with relaxation, the sounds of feet hurriedly rushing around the gardens disturbed her respite. The young princess cursed as she opened her eyes and sat up, swinging her legs over and touching the ground.

"Ah there you are Natsuki-sama." The guard spoke through long and laboured breaths. Sakomisu was quite a portly man who sported a rather comically large head of frizzy hair and had been a guard at the palace ever since Natsuki could remember, although she could remember a time when the large man wasn't quite so... large in the stomach region.

"Is it possible to ever get a day off or at least a few minutes to myself?" The young woman sighed and Sakomisu smiled apologetically.

"You can't get a day off from being the daughter of a king I'm afraid."

"Hmm." Natsuki smoothed down her overcoat and frowned in confusion "Well? Is there a reason you ran all this way to disturb me or are you just feeling like being extra annoying today?"

"Ah yes sorry, your father has requested that you attend the meeting with the council right away."

Natsuki sighed and ran her hand through her midnight blue tresses as she ran out of the gardens and into the Palace, being extra careful to avoid running into a certain Miss Maria. The young princess' run turned into a brisk walk as she neared her father's quarters and she half-smiled at the young male secretary sitting outside her father's office.

"Good morning Princess. You're here to see your father aren't you?" The young man spoke in a soft voice as he smiled at the princess.

"You know it Kazuya. Can I go in?" Kazuya nodded and Natsuki gave the young man a curt nod in thanks before gripping both handles of the door and opened the two great doors. The room was full of advisors to her father and some of his military council. She walked into the centre of the room and on bended knee she bowed to her father, offering him a smile as he smiled back. King Haruto was a rather thin, frail man who, even in his military outfit with its many medals, didn't appear to be even half as mighty as he was in his youth. In truth, since the death of his first born son, the man seemed rather despondent and disinterested in many affairs of his kingdom. His only consolation- his only daughter Natsuki who had the beauty of her mother Saeko and the military prowess and charm of her father.

Haruto watched as his daughter crossed the room and perched herself on one of the worktops at the side of the room, behind the councillors and listened intently with her arms folded across her chest.

"So, now our Princess is here, I have received news from the court of Cardair regarding the Prince Reito's offer of marriage to the Queen's eldest daughter, Princess Shizuru."

At the sound of that familiar name from her father's lips, Natsuki's ears perked up in only mild interest. She wasn't surprised that her father had pushed for a marriage between her brother and the Princess of Cardair. Stories of the Princess' rumoured beauty was spread throughout the seven kingdoms and noble families all over the world pushed forward their sons in the hopes that she'd choose one to marry. The only problem was, she always turned them down... it was going to be interesting hearing what the response was this time.

"The Princess regretfully informs us that she has decided to refuse the Prince's offer of marriage; however she hopes that her decision will not harm the 'delicate and most valued friendship between our two countries'. Well- now that's a shame" the king sighed as he leaned back in his chair and studied the faces of those in the room. Many of the men in the room started to whisper to each other, some finding the Princess' refusal to be a great insult. However Natsuki remained silent as she tilted her head back and processed her father's words.

They didn't necessarily come as a shock, even though her brother was notoriously handsome and proved very popular with the women, but Princess Shizuru of Cardair proved to be incredibly stubborn and set in her ways- it was rather commendable.

Haruto had become tired of the grumblings and the mutterings of the men in the room and so he pushed back his chair and stood on his feet. Each man immediately rose to their feet.

"I know that this is not the news we wanted, but so be it for now. If you wouldn't mind, I'd like to speak to my daughter alone. Good day gentlemen."

Natsuki waited until each man had left the room before exhaling and walking over to her father's chair. Haruto smiled as Natsuki placed a hand on his shoulder and covered her small, delicate hand with his own rough and calloused one.

"'I hope this does not harm our most valued friendship' she writes. It's a damn good thing that her father isn't alive to see this mockery." Haruto grimaced in disgust as he handed the hand-written letter to his daughter, who took it and moved to sit on the chair in front of her father's desk.

"Really neat handwriting" Natsuki muttered to herself "Reito's not going to take this well, he'll expect us to do something about it."

Haruto nodded and smirked as he turned his attention to his daughter "Of course, Kuga men don't like to be refused... and we certainly don't like to let our women get the better of us."

Natsuki frowned at the comment but let it slide, sometimes her father forgot she was a daughter and not a son. Whilst other princesses had been taught those skills needed to be a good wife or a good mother, Natsuki was learning how to be a good, strong leader and a damn good soldier along with her brothers.

"You're thinking up something aren't you?" Natsuki met her father's eyes and shook her head slowly "What have you got up your sleeve old man?"

"Cardair will be the host of the Seven Kingdoms Tournament at the end of this month, we have our champions chosen however, what if one of them was to unexpectedly... pull out and another take his place?"

"Unexpectedly? And who is this warrior that would replace him?" Natsuki studied the growing smirk on Haruto's face and immediately knew the answer "You want me to replace him?"

Haruto nodded "Whilst you're in Cardair you'll have the opportunity to meet the Royal family and most likely, the Princess. Sing your brother's praises, convince her to marry Reito and bring her back with you. Win the tournament if you like but, if the girl still refuses by the end of the tournament, desperate measures may be needed. But you mustn't leave Cardair without her."

Natsuki frowned in confusion "Desperate measures? You're telling me to steal the Princess of Cardair?"

The king frowned and bit his lip as he leaned back "Yes, yes I am. Pick your most trusted men and women to accompany you; you'll be leaving at the end of the week for Cardair and for victory for the House of Kuga and Artai." Haruto finished with a grin.

Natsuki knew arguing against her father was futile and she had never once questioned her father's orders and so she accepted her father's decision.

"May I go now?" she asked curtly.

"You may, you may have the rest of the day to rest and prepare yourself. On Friday at dawn you are to catch the ship to Cardair. Good luck... bring us back that prize Natsuki, and that tournament trophy would be lovely as well."

Natsuki rolled her eyes at the poor attempt to bring humour to the situation "Yes Papa. I'll see you soon." With a quick bow, Natsuki spun on her heel, storming out of the office.

Elsewhere in the palace, servants were keeping themselves busy, rooms needed cleaning and there were always chores to be done, however at the sound of two large doors banging loudly against the walls sent chambermaids jumping in fright at such a loud noise.

"It looks like Natsuki-sama's meeting with the king didn't go so well, ne Nina-chan?" One brown haired and blue-eyed maid said to another as they both stopped in their task of making the young princess' bed to watch the woman throw herself onto the daybed.

"No, not really. Focus on the job Arika." The girl Nina whispered quietly as she tried hard to not look at Natsuki, however as she looked up at her friend she sighed sadly as she saw Arika was no longer at the opposite side to the bed, and was walking up to the Princess.

"Not today Arika... I'm not in the mood." Natsuki called out before the young servant girl could even speak- her eyes were closed but she knew who it was creeping up to her quietly.

"You know, Granny always said to me that a problem shared was a problem halved."

"Yeah well your Granny never let anyone else get a word in" Natsuki opened her eyes and sat upright "Sorry Arika, I'm just-"

Arika shook her head and smiled "Just not in the mood, I know."

"Sorry. Could you go send for Nao please? Tell her it's urgent and if she doesn't get her scrawny ass up here pronto I'll be using her as a target for target practice later on." Arika bowed and ran out of the room in search for the elusive redhead.

Natsuki wiped her tired eyes and yawned, today was seriously not her day and with any luck, it was about to get a lot worse, especially with Nao on her way up.

Natsuki chuckled when she saw her red-haired friend burst into the room, dragging along poor Arika behind her by the collar of her maid's uniform "Nao, you look rather hot and sweaty, are you alright?"

Nao let go of Arika "Am I alright? You're lucky I'm not killing you for what you just did to me."

"What did I do to you? I haven't seen you since yesterday."

"That blonde little thing that I've been trying to get into bed all week finally gave me the go ahead, it was on until this little ant came in and destroyed the mood!" Nao's frown deepened when Natsuki broke out in laughter.

"It's not funny." Nao shrieked as she rested her clenched fists of her hips.

Natsuki wiped a tear from her eye as the laughter eased "No no of course not. I'm very sorry for getting in the way Nao, honestly." With one stern look from the redhead, Natsuki felt herself unable to hold back the laughter, however when she thought back to why she had summoned Nao in the first place, her joyful mood quickly disappeared.

"Alright, so why am I here? I'm guessing you went to that meeting with your father then."

"Hmm, how did you know that?" Natsuki asked suspiciously as she sat back down on the daybed.

"Ah, not important. So what's going on?" Nao asked in a softer tone as her lime green eyes watched as Natsuki subconsciously rubbed the back of her neck- a nervous habit that Nao knew only all too well of.

"So guess what, I'm going to Cardair at the end of the week, Papa got a letter from the Princess refusing Reito's hand in marriage-"

"So that means you owe me a sovereign then." Nao smirked.

"-I was playing Devil's advocate, of course she was going to refuse him." Natsuki remarked as she dug into a pocket and tossed a gold sovereign at Nao who caught it effortlessly. When she had learned of her brother's proposal, she and the red-haired lieutenant had made a rather substantial bet over whether the Princess Shizuru would turn him down or not.

"Anyway... that couldn't have been a surprise for you. You knew she'd reject him, so what does your old man want you to go to Cardair for?"

"He wants me to go there for the Seven Kingdoms Tournament as a replacement for one of the participants, but whilst we're over there somehow I have to convince her that my brother is a good person to marry"

Nao scoffed "So basically you have to lie to her then?"

Natsuki sighed "Pretty much. I feel sorry for whatever woman ends up marrying him."

"Hell yeah." A thought crossed Nao's mind and she frowned "hang on a sec, the Tournament starts in three weeks, what happened to the three months respite period? You know, the one we were promised when we got back from Carlteya last week?"

"I don't know, he just wants this to be sorted out quickly before Reito can make a fuss or before she decides to marry some other Prince. When I win the tournament and all that's over with, I somehow have to convince the Princess to come back with us and if she doesn't, we basically kidnap her."

"You used a lot of 'we's in that sentence." Nao frowned as she folded her arms across her chest.

"I think I only used one Nao." Natsuki replied as she raised a brow.

"So you're expecting me to go too? Well you can forget it."

"Nao I need people I can trust and despite everything that you've ever done to me, like shooting me in the foot when I was seven, I for some reason trust you."

Nao chuckled, she had forgotten that little incident when they were children and Nao had got hold of one of her father's flintlock pistols. Both she and Natsuki got into a tug of war fight with the gun and Nao accidentally pulled the trigger, the Princess still bore the scar from the entrance and exit wound!

"You know that's really lame right?" Nao asked Natsuki who shrugged.

"Yeah I know, I would pull on your heartstrings if I wasn't so sure that you don't have a heart anyway."

"Fine I'll go. But I'm not going to have any fun... Cardair women are notoriously frigid" Nao sighed in defeat and tried to stop herself from lashing out and punching the smirk off Natsuki's face.

"There's a difference between being frigid and having standards Nao."

"Ooooh bitchy... doesn't that mean you have impeccably low standards yourself then?" Nao retorted, enjoying the way the smirk dropped from Natsuki's face. The two had dated when they were 15 and at a military academy in Aries however after a few months, Natsuki was forced to leave Aries after the death of her brother and it would be another two years before Nao would see Natsuki again.

Natsuki frowned, she didn't like to be reminded of her and Nao's past, especially when it reminded her of her brother.

"Whatever, can you just go pick out a group of twenty of our best and tell them to get ready to set sail on Friday."

Nao felt a small pang of regret as she saw the darkened expression on her friend's face. She had crossed the line and gone against every rule that they had when they split up all those years ago- never referring their past was the first rule.

"Yeah, no problem. So you're going to be seeing Shizuru-san again huh... I hope you don't mind if I give her a punch in the face for old times' sake."

Natsuki frowned and turned to glare at her snickering friend "Nao, you touch her and I cut off your hand alright?"

Nao stopped laughing and raised her hands in mock surrender "Fine, fine whatever. Although with the rumours of her beauty and with my good looks, I think keeping her hands off me might be a bigger problem."

Natsuki scoffed "You know you're starting to sound even more like Chie every day. And who knows what she really looks like, you know Cardair royals are banned from showing their faces until they marry." Natsuki lay back down on the day bed and rested her arm over her eyes.

"Yeah but, you've seen her haven't you?"

"Nao... would you kindly fuck off and do as you're ordered please?"

Nao kicked at the floor with her boot as she rolled her eyes "Fine, I'll get right on it. You want the usual gang right?"

Natsuki didn't say anything and kept her arm draped over her eyes and so Nao took her lack of an answer to be a simple 'yes'.

"Alright then, you know where I'll be if you need me... but if you send Antsy over, don't expect her to come back alive." Nao called out as she turned on her heel and made her way out of the rather large bedroom.

Natsuki sighed once she heard the door close behind the redhead. "Arika, Nina."

"Yes Natsuki-sama" The two spoke in unison.

"Could you help me with the packing please? You know I'm rather... shit at it." Natsuki offered the two girls a small lopsided grin.

"Thought you'd never ask Natsuki-sama."

* * *

><p>Glistening blood-red eyes cautiously peaked through the gap in between the large stone wall and the wooden market stall on the path at the docks and when they caught sight of the large tall ship she knew had come all the way from Artai.<p>

"Shizuru-sama we really should be heading back, your mother will have my neck for this." A young woman whispered as she gently pulled on the large dark red cloak of the hooded figure.

"Not yet Kaori-han, you go if you must and I'll follow you in a minute." Shizuru whispered over her shoulder to her young attendant, whilst never keeping her wine coloured eyes off the ship and the gangway leading from it to the stones of the berth. There was one person on that ship that she was so desperate to see that she had hardly slept the past week, the past week since she heard of this certain person's coming to her country.

The blonde-haired girl Kaori scoffed "Do you really think I'm leaving the heir to the throne on her own with all these sailors and... soldiers around? Why are there so many soldiers around here?" the girl added as an afterthought as she finally noticed just how many soldiers wearing the Cardair livery there were surrounding the one ship.

"Those are the King of Artai's champions, for the Tournament." Shizuru responded as her face lit up as she spotted the woman she'd been desperately and patiently waiting to see again for nearly ten years "Natsuki" she whispered under her breath.

The midnight-coloured hair, beautiful pale skin and- hopefully- the same breathtakingly stunning forest green eyes- the young princess looked pretty much exactly the same as she had all those years ago. However Shizuru smirked as she let her gaze drop from the young woman's face down to her body, noting how she'd filled out quite nicely in the chest region and her body was toned and muscular, yet still distinctively feminine.

Kaori gulped and shivered slightly at her mistress' answer- the people from Artai were notoriously brutal and obsessed with all things military. They were a tough lot and not a bunch of people you'd want to insult.

"Right, I think we should probably leave now." Kaori spoke in a sing-song voice as she tried to get the hooded Princess to move away from the wall and back to the palace.

Shizuru sighed softly as she followed Natsuki with her gaze until the young woman disappeared from her sight along with her entourage.

"Very well then Kaori-han. We'd best not make Mother worry." She turned and winked at her maid before, cautiously, the two made their way back to the palace through the back streets.

_I've waited nearly ten years to see her again, I suppose one more day won't make much of a difference._

* * *

><p><strong>AN: OK, so we've gathered that this isn't exactly the first time they've met each other yes?**

**I wrote this all in about three days and I've had a bit of free time on my hands lately so I may manage to squeeze out another chapter hopefully rather soon in between writing for BMS and maybe KMMA too. Also I know that the honorifics chop and change but I put them in and then I don't like them, so I take them out and then the names don't look right and then... screw it. Some are staying. Some aren't worth the effort of googling what's correct or not.**

**Please feel free to leave a review or drop me a PM if there are any questions, but mostly I hope you like this story :D**

**Until next time,**

**Tiny!**


	2. Treading Carefully

**A/N: And she's back.. back again.. Tiny's back. Ok so I have been feeling rather guilty of late for not writing anything (not a dickie bird) for the past month or so, especially as I went from part-time admin wench to full-time admin wench and have had little time (or mental capacity) to do anything... fun!**

**So I came up with this, finished it about ten minutes ago and decided to post an update to show that I am indeed still alive. And producing this godawful b*llocks! **

**Soooo... enjoy? Please feel free to leave a review, I'm sorry if I haven't responded to everyone's reviews and many thanks to those who read the first chapter. I sincerely hope this one doesn't disappoint too much XD**

**Much love, Tiny xxx**

**DISCLAIMER: Oh come on, seriously? If I owned these characters trust me... I would have quit my job loooooong ago. But I haven't, so I obviously don't own them- Sunrise have that honour!**

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><p><em>Chapter 2- Tread Carefully<em>

"Kinda skimped on the reception didn't they?" Nao remarked as she leaned on the side of the ship as it rocked gently in the docks and studied the faces of the soldiers awaiting the soon-to-be disembarking passengers. Her dark-haired companion sighed as she shook her head "No, the last thing we need is a fuss right now, these soldiers are making me feel a little uneasy."

Natsuki groaned as she gazed at the large numbers of Cardair soldiers on the ground below "It's been what, eight years since the peace treaty was signed... and they still don't trust us?" the young princess muttered quietly to herself. Nao turned her head to the side and watched intently as she saw the worry lines on her friend's face deepen, and found it rather amusing.

She knew that the young warrior was not worrying so much about the soldiers below or about the upcoming tournament; she was worrying about seeing her again. Although the thought didn't necessarily provide Nao with so much joy, she knew it was prime teasing material for later on.

"We have six hours before the main reception tonight, I suggest we take this time to take a small tour of our camp and then rest before getting ready." Natsuki looked at Nao who nodded and left to go tell the other members of their entourage, and with a heavy-hearted sigh, she picked up her own little pack and made her way down the gangway.

As soon as the two women reached the bottom they were greeted by a rather flamboyantly dressed woman with blonde hair that glistened in the sunlight. The young woman wore a rather beautiful purple veil; hiding the woman's face completely from the rest of the world.

"Am I correct in saying that I have the honour in greeting Natsuki, the Princess of Artai?" The blonde spoke in a clear and rather sweet Cardair accent. Natsuki's ears perked up instantly at the sound of the woman's accent; it really had been far too long since she had heard a Cardair accent. She was still slightly annoyed at the spellbinding effect it held over her as she tensed up completely- her eyes darting between the blonde in front her and Nao in a silent plea for help.

Nao, upon realising that Natsuki was taking her damn time answering, rolled her eyes in frustration and brushed the young princess aside as she stood in front of the dark-haired woman "So what if she is?" she asked as she quirked a brow and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

If the young blonde woman had been slightly surprised by the redhead's brash exclamation- there were certainly no signs of it as she continued in a calm and carefree tone of voice "Forgive me General Yuuki, my name is Hinata, I am a lady-in-waiting of Queen Aiko and I have been sent here on her behalf to welcome the Artai party and extend our warmest greetings to you Princess Natsuki." Once finished, the young woman bowed deeply.

"You know who I am?" Nao asked as she moved her hand to the hilt of her sword as she and Natsuki watched as the Queen's servant finished bowing.

"It is expected of a lady-in-waiting to know of all of our distinguished guests." Hinata inwardly blew a sigh of relief as she saw the General shrug and remove her hand from her sword before going back to looking completely disinterested and so she turned her attention back to the rather strikingly beautiful Princess.

"Princess, I have been summoned here not only to greet you, but to inform you that the royal family has graciously offered you and the General rooms in the Palace for the duration of your stay."

Natsuki frowned "Oh? And where will the rest of 'our party' be staying?"

Hinata shuddered slightly at the harsh and husky tones of the woman's voice. Despite being incredibly beautiful, the Princess of Artai was a scary woman... and with a glare from the dark-haired woman, Hinata felt a bout of fear "Er... the rest of your party will be stationed at the competitor's camp, 2 miles away from the Palace."

Hinata gulped; clearly what she had said had angered the Princess as the frown on the young woman's face deepened and Natsuki silently shook her head before barging past the blonde-haired lady-in-waiting.

"I sleep where they sleep. You can tell your Queen that." Natsuki hissed as she headed towards the horse that was waiting for her, completely oblivious to the fast sounding footsteps racing towards her.

Nao grabbed onto Natsuki's elbow- firmly pulling the fuming woman to a sudden halt "Don't be such an ungrateful bitch- remember what your father said. Remember what you came here to do. The sooner you charm the Princess into marrying your bastard for a brother then the sooner we can all go home." Nao took a deep breath as she allowed Natsuki to shake off her hold on her elbow "This is your chance Natsuki... don't be a bigger idiot than you already are by letting it slide."

Natsuki sighed and ran her fingers through her hair as she looked towards her other companions. The men and women she had brought with her from Artai were her most trusted soldiers and most capable fighters; they certainly knew how to handle themselves if they found themselves in a tricky situation.

But this was Cardair... not Artai. The peace treaty that existed between the two countries was- at the very best- fragile and Natsuki knew that it wouldn't take much for tensions to escalate to something potentially rather dangerous.

"You'd be in the same place, under the same roof the entire time we're here"

"I know" Natsuki snapped "And that's what worries me" Natsuki finished quietly; ashamed by the thought.

"What if there's trouble? You know how twitchy they get."

"They're big boys and girls, they can handle themselves... and give 'em a bit of credit, they wouldn't dare start anything if they knew what you'd do to them!"

Natsuki's eye twitched. _I hate it when Nao's right... damn her stupid mouth._

"Daisuke... Whilst I'm at the palace you're in charge. Make sure you guys keep out of trouble and I'll see you later at the reception. Dismissed." Natsuki called out to her group of warriors and smiled when each one saluted and dispersed to make their way to the camp from the docks.

With a sad sigh, Natsuki rubbed the back of her neck and spun on her heel and smiled nervously as she stopped in front of the maid. Hinata couldn't help but stare in amazement at the vibrant rush of colour as it spread across the young princess' cheeks in what Hinata could only assume to be embarrassment. It was rather humbling she thought as Natsuki seemed to fidget on the spot and concentrate most of her attention to a small stone caught under the heel of her boot.

"Hey... Er... f-forget what I said earlier. Tell your Queen that I'm grateful for the rooms and I'll be making my way there soon."

Hinata smiled and then quickly remembered that Natsuki wouldn't have seen that with the veil covering her face and instead bowed as she went to make her way back to the Palace to relay the message to the Queen and to oversee the preparation for the rooms for the Princess and her General.

* * *

><p>"Nao, I swear if you don't stop laughing this second I'm going to shoot you a new hole!"<p>

"I can't help it! Gods that was priceless." The young redhead cried out between fits of laughter and gasps for air as she held her aching sides.

"It wasn't funny Nao." The dark haired princess growled as she punched her red-haired friend in the arm, causing a satisfying end to the laughter and a wince in pain from her young companion.

"Natsuki you made a child cry by smiling at her. Who the hell wouldn't pay to see that?!"

Natsuki growled as she pushed open the doors to her chambers in the palace; taking a moment to forget that embarrassing moment as she admired the beauty of the room. Clearly the Kingdom of Cardair was doing fairly alright for themselves. Not a single object was out of place in the immaculately tidy room- the bed itself looked like it could fit at least half a dozen people in it comfortably!

"Wow" was the only word that escaped the Princess' lips as her eyes scanned the room, admiring every bit of detail. Her rooms in her Palace were huge by anyone's standards... but this? This made her rooms and the wealth of her country seem so... tiny!

"So... I'm guessing this is my room then." Nao joked at she threw herself onto the gigantic bed and made herself very much at home.

"In your dreams Nao. Get off before you dirty it." Natsuki unbuttoned her coat and draped it on the golden coat-stand in the corner of the room before removing her dirtied boots and landing belly-first on the huge bed.

She was exhausted. Too exhausted to even care that Nao still hadn't shifted from her comfy position on the princess' bed and was starting to snore. All that mattered was getting some much needed rest before having to go back to performing her royal duties at the reception tonight.

And then there was the tournament to worry about.

But for now, Natsuki was merely content with just silently fretting about what was going to be happening in a few hours from now. _Will she be there tonight? Baka... of course she will. This is her country after all!_

How long had it been since she had seen Shizuru she wondered. _9 years? Of course... it was just before Haruki..._ Natsuki growled and refused to let her thoughts continue that sentence. It had been a while since she had thought about her brother and yet, since the meeting she had had with her father over a week ago, he and Shizuru had been all Natsuki had been able to think about.

_9 years huh... I know I've changed a lot in those years... would she even recognise me? I wouldn't recognise me anymore. _

Natsuki took a look to the sleeping figure of her friend beside her and gently tugged off her friend's boots- placing them gently beside her 'side' of the bed- and tugged the sheet over the sleeping redhead before opening the huge double doors and stepping onto the balcony.

She couldn't deny that the city was absolutely beautiful and the views of the courtyard and the sea were stunning. They certainly made a change from the cold and constantly wintery climate of Artai.

Natsuki quickly felt like she could get used to it there and closed her eyes as a gentle sea breeze washed over her body- making the hairs on her arms stand to attention and a relaxing feeling sweep through her body.

_Does she even remember who I am? What if she doesn't like who I've become?_

_Why the hell does it even matter?!_

* * *

><p>The sudden rustling of bushes and branches being pushed asunder caused the young cobalt-haired Princess to open her bright viridian eyes and frown as she realised that something- or most likely someone- was closing in on her favourite hiding spot. It couldn't have been a student as classes were in session; however Natsuki took a second to ponder that thought some more, considering she was also supposed to be in class as well.<p>

_Better not be you Nao, unless you want another beating _Natsuki thought as she made herself comfortable on the branch of the tree she was currently resting along and closed her eyes once more, willing sleep to come once again.

_-snap-_

"Damnit, what is that?" Natsuki asked herself quietly as she sat up and, after regaining her balance on the branch, she searched the area for any sort of movement with her emerald eyes and she smirked when she saw one of the bushes shake. Natsuki hooked her legs around the branch and after executing a perfect backwards somersault, she landed not quite so elegantly on the ground below- stopping to wince slightly as the shockwaves from her rather heavy-footed landing ran from her ankles up her legs. Natsuki took a few cautious steps towards the bush and prepared to give whoever was disturbing her precious rest a beating, however nothing could have prepared her for what she saw next.

Coming out of the gap in between the two bushes crawled one of the most- no- the most beautiful girl that Natsuki had ever laid eyes upon and as Natsuki stood, mouth agape, the chestnut haired girl stood straighter and dusted some of the leaves off of her beautiful white jacket.

_Those clothes, she's not a student? _Suddenly the mysterious stranger turned and caught the young princess off guard, and for what felt like the longest moment in both the stranger and the princess' lives, the two just stood in silence as they stared at each other.

"Ara ara, if I knew all the girls in Aries were this pretty, I would have asked to come here a lot sooner."

Natsuki's eyes widened at the soft and melodic tones of the girl's accent and felt her throat close up as her palms felt slightly damp. _Oh shit not again_ the young princess thought as the stranger took another step closer to her with a perfectly arched brow and a small smirk on her lovely face.

"Ara, where are my manners? My name is Shizuru, I'm here visiting the Academy. What is your name?" The girl named Shizuru held out a hand and Natsuki looked at the girl in front of her with suspicion. _No family name huh?_

"I know that you're not supposed to talk to strangers but, I have introduced myself ne? We aren't strangers any more yes?" Shizuru pulled back her hand and sighed when the beautiful dark haired girl with dazzling forest-green eyes seemed hell-bent on not saying a word to her. Were all the girls around here like this, she wondered.

"Natsuki Kuga... I'm a fourth year cadet here."

"Ara ara, only 15?" Shizuru lifted her head in surprise. The young girl's husky, yet distinctively feminine voice sent shivers down Shizuru's spine and a genuine smile crept upon her face "It's a pleasure to meet you Kuga-san." Shizuru spoke softly as she gave a small bow, which was promptly returned by the dark haired girl- albeit rather awkwardly.

"Er... yeah, you too... I guess." Natsuki rubbed the back of her neck as she studied the slightly taller girl. She was incredibly beautiful with beautiful crimson eyes, a slender nose and a perfectly formed mouth, which Natsuki noted, was still in a slight smirk.

Soon the comfortable silence the two shared took a turn into uncomfortable "So er... you are a visitor then?" Natsuki prompted.

"I am. My father and mother sent me here to have a look around the academies in the Seven Kingdoms... this is the last one I have visited."

"Oh, so why are you here then instead of in the Academy?" Natsuki asked as she folded her arms across her chest.

Shizuru once more inspected the girl in the black uniform of the Aries Military Academy and found that the girl was rather dashing and suited the uniform incredibly well "Ara ara I suppose I felt a little rebellious and those tour guides were becoming a little tedious."

Natsuki allowed herself to chuckle slightly as she unfolded her arms and rested a hand on her hips "Yeah you aren't wrong there."

"So Cadet Kuga..."

"Natsuki is fine."

Shizuru smiled, despite the surprise "Natsuki... as one student to hopefully another, I was wondering if you wouldn't mind showing me around. I would much rather have you show me around." Shizuru flashed Natsuki another dazzling smile and Natsuki's head immediately began to feel rather light and foggy.

"Er... sure. But not yet alright?"

"I suppose... why exactly?" Shizuru asked and was rather amused when she received a rather guilty look in response.

"Well, everyone is in class... and as you can see, I'm kinda not."

Shizuru giggled into her hand- this girl clearly had no idea just how adorable she looked right now.

"Ara, I suppose Natsuki does have a point. I guess if we should be caught, I hold no objection to taking the blame. You could always say I kidnapped you?"

Natsuki shrugged "You? Kidnap me? I don't think so." She looked the girl in front of her up and down. Nice dress made of, what Natsuki could only assume, material that was most likely priced at a year's wage for an Artai worker and nicely manicured nails on long slender fingers. Not a single thing looked out of place on the girl and Natsuki had the feeling that the girl had never had a single fight in her entire life.

"Ara haven't you ever learnt not to underestimate your opponent? I'll have you know that I'm stronger than I look." Shizuru spoke with a wounded expression as she clutched a hand to her chest, hoping that the uniformed girl would take the bait and yet frowned when Natsuki merely scoffed.

"Sure whatever." Natsuki chuckled as she turned around and hunted down her bag; leaving her new acquaintance rather mystified as to what had just happened. However, Shizuru smiled wickedly as she thought of a plan to get her own back on the beautiful girl whilst her back was turned.

Just as Natsuki found what she had been looking for she suddenly felt an arm snake around her neck whilst the other pulled her right arm up behind her back. It wasn't painful, but the dark haired girl couldn't stop a small yelp from escaping her lips in surprise, especially when she felt the warm breath of the girl behind her tickle her ear.

"Did nobody tell you to never turn your back on an enemy?" Shizuru purred into Natsuki's ear, enjoying the way the shorter girl tensed up and turned a fantastic shade of pink.

"Shi-Shizuru! What are you doing?" Natsuki exclaimed. She struggled slightly against the older girl's hold and found that Shizuru hadn't exactly been lying- she was a lot stronger than she looked.

"Ara? Teaching Natsuki a lesson of course." Shizuru whispered as she grazed the tip of her nose against Natsuki's bare neck; the girl was unbelievably intoxicating and Shizuru felt her mind cloud over.

"Huh?" was all Natsuki managed to squeeze out before she felt her foot being kicked away and as she lost her balance, she felt her body be quickly turned so she landed on her back with her arms gently pinned above her head by Shizuru.

"Ara... does Natsuki believe me now?" Shizuru cooed as Natsuki gazed up at her in shock. Shizuru smiled as she felt Natsuki's body relax beneath her own and she couldn't help but let her eyes wander over the girl's heartbreakingly beautiful lips- completely unaware that Natsuki was doing exactly the same thing.

"I think- I think I do" Natsuki whispered as she was overcome with a desire to break free of Shizuru's hold and pull the taller girl's face towards her own and kiss her. However before she could, the grip on one of Natsuki's arms disappeared and Natsuki only had a couple of seconds to react before Shizuru's head descended and caught Natsuki's lips with her own.

The kiss itself didn't last very long before Shizuru pulled back and immediately the situation began to sink in- however all thoughts of doubt over whether Natsuki had wanted to be kissed vanished when Natsuki pulled Shizuru closer and kissed Shizuru more feverishly. Shizuru's eyes fluttered until they closed as she kissed Natsuki back- finding her quite irresistible and hungry for more.

Natsuki on the other hand was finding it incredibly easy to give into temptation as Shizuru's tongue massaged her own and the dark-haired girl slipped out a moan, which only caused Shizuru to want more. However, both girls soon found the need to breathe more overwhelming than the kiss itself and so broke apart, their faces only a breath apart.

"That... that was... whoa." Natsuki whispered between breaths as she eased her body up into a sitting position. _Well that escalated quickly_ the young princess thought as she watched as Shizuru blushed and touched her own lips.

"Ara, it was... quite incredible."Shizuru spoke quietly, almost to herself. She had to admit, that was certainly the quickest she had ever gone from meeting to kissing someone- she almost felt disappointed that there had been very little resistance on Natsuki's part.

"So, do you usually tackle and kiss girls like that or have I just started a new thing for you?"

The harshness in Natsuki's words threw Shizuru slightly, she could see the slight red tinge on her cheeks and initially thought that it must have been the exertion from the exhilarating kiss they had just shared. However, now Natsuki just looked angry more than anything.

_Hadn't she enjoyed the kiss a few minutes ago? Is she angry with me? _Shizuru mused; completely perplexed by the cadet's behaviour.

"I can't say I do this sort of thing often, no." Shizuru spoke softly, watching as her words were processed and breathing a sigh of relief when she saw the frown disappear off Natsuki's face. She couldn't deny that she was attracted to the fumbling cadet in front of her and she certainly felt like she wanted to get to know her better.

"Natsuki?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm sorry if I offended you. I won't do that again."

"It's alright... you didn't do anything I didn't want anyway." Natsuki edged closer to Shizuru and, whilst resting a hand on the taller girl's shoulder, used the other the gently turn Shizuru's face to look at her.

"So... what happens now?" Natsuki asked- flashing a nervous smile.

"Can we just sit here and talk for a while? Please?" Shizuru finished quietly as she felt Natsuki's unwavering eyes upon her face; studying her with curiosity and frowning as the warmth from Natsuki's hand left her face and instead fumbled with the lapel of her cadet's uniform.

"Er... yeah. I guess."

* * *

><p>Natsuki sighed as she wiped her tired eyes and flicked her hair over her shoulder. Thinking of the past was something she'd never enjoyed doing and yet the universe seemed to enjoy screwing her into making sure the past always plagued her mind.<p>

"Evenin' Princess Twat-suki"

Natsuki rolled her eyes and shook her head as she clenched her fist "And that's my good mood shot to hell" she retorted as the redhead joined her. Nao chortled as she stretched her arms in front of her and rolled her neck until a satisfying click was heard.

"Like you'd ever be in a good mood... unless you have a girl hiding here somewhere. Though I seriously doubt it." Nao smirked as she took a look at her oldest friend and sighed when she realised that Natsuki was never going to take the bait as she continued to stare at the sky as dusk started to fall.

"What's up with you?"

"Did you just show concern Nao?"

Nao scoffed "As if. I need you to be at the top of your game tonight and less pathetic than usual." Nao followed Natsuki's gaze out to the sea; watching some ships on the horizon.

"She's going to be there tonight isn't she?" Natsuki asked quietly, almost as if to herself. Nao, unsure of whether she was supposed to answer, shrugged and hummed "Well duh... she kinda owns the place doesn't she?"

"Not yet she doesn't."

"Yeah well once she marries Reito she will." Nao hissed, causing Natsuki to look at her and arch an eyebrow.

"Why did you say it like that?" she asked softly. She glanced down at Nao's hands as they gripped the rails on the balcony so tightly that her knuckles whitened and Natsuki was certain she'd break the rail clean off.

"You aren't the only one nervous about seeing her again Natsuki. You aren't the only one that's not looking forward to her marrying Reito... I'd much rather toss her off that cliff than have to see her in Artai." Nao hissed as she nodded in the direction of the cliff in the distance and heard the sharp intake of air from the woman beside her.

"You've been brooding about this all week and it's been driving me mad Natsuki. I've never wanted to hit you so hard in my life... well, not since that day. Why can't you just be content with not mentioning her?" Nao added quietly.

"You and I had an agreement didn't we? Not to talk about that part of our lives remember?"

Nao smiled sadly as she shook her head "Yeah... I know and-"

"Let me finish damn it!" Natsuki interrupted "I know that I hurt you back then and I'll never stop trying to earn your forgiveness for what I did to you." Natsuki took a second to look at the redhead and found her to be looking away and Natsuki sighed before continuing.

"I was a jerk, a royal jerk... literally, and I should never have cheated on you with her like that. I could so easily say that it was because I was young and that I was just fooling around... but whether I like it or not, that woman will always be a big part of my life and not only because we kissed but-" The sharp sound of Nao's palm colliding with Natsuki's cheek made the princess stop in her tracks.

"You shut it- you shut your mouth right now!" Nao yelled as she raised her hand to slap Natsuki again, yet sighed when she saw a tear roll down the princess' stinging and bright red cheek, and so brought her arm down again.

"You know there's a reason why we made that promise... and that was it." Nao growled as she folded her arms across her chest and perched herself on the rail of the balcony as she watched Natsuki rub her stinging cheek. Part of Nao felt like jumping in victory- it was nice seeing Natsuki feeling the sting- but she knew that maybe she had gone too far. She knew that had she and Natsuki not known each other all their lives, Nao would have lost her head for that slap and for all the other injuries/insults she had thrown Natsuki's way since Nao could talk.

"You're not kidding... Gods that hurt."

"Good, it was supposed to!"

The two women stood in silence as they let their thoughts turn to what had happened years ago.

"I'm sorry for hitting you" Nao said unexpectedly- causing the dark haired Princess to do a double-take "Actually no... I'm not, you deserved it."

Natsuki blew a sigh of relief "Don't ever do that to me again. You know it's creepy when you care... or try to." Natsuki smiled and felt herself relax when she saw a sly grin spread across her friend's face.

"Hence why I don't care about you that much."

"Liar... you care about me too much for your own good" Natsuki retorted and laughed when Nao snorted in disbelief.

"I don't hate her you know... or you for what happened and to be honest, I forgave you a long time ago. I just hate the fact that when you think of her, you can't help but think about Haruki. And then I'm left with you moping around like a kicked puppy and there's nothing I can do about it. You're my eldest friend and despite being my ex... I do... kinda care about you. So when I see you in pain when you think about her and Haruki... it hurts me too, because I know it's something I can't fix for you. 'Cause you sure as hell are too stupid to try and fix it yourself." Nao hated herself for saying it, but she needed Natsuki to know how she felt.

Natsuki smiled sadly as she gripped Nao's shoulder- no words needed to be spoken between them- they understood each other perfectly with one look. Natsuki was glad to hear that Nao had forgiven her for her kiss with Shizuru all those years ago- even if Natsuki was unable to forgive herself.

"We'd better start getting ready for the reception. And I don't know about you but I could use a bath." Natsuki was so ready to wash the last week of travelling right off her and was looking forward to a nice warm soak.

"I'd better be going to hunt down my own room then. Catch you later." Nao replied with a wave as she collected her boots from beside the bed and closed the door behind her as she left the room. Alone again, Natsuki finally had some time to let herself go as she quickly undressed and ran herself a bath. She had declined the Queen's offer of a maid whilst she stayed in the Palace; not liking the idea of someone possibly being sent to report on the young princess' activities every day- her life in Artai wasn't nearly quite as intrusive.

_Well... apart from Arika always butting into my business_ Natsuki thought with a smile as she slipped deeper into the tub.

* * *

><p>A couple of hours later and the Palace was buzzing with a sudden influx of people. Foreign ambassadors, most of the competitors of the Seven Kingdoms Tournament and there were definitely plenty of royalty wherever the crimson-eyed Princess looked. Everyone, it seemed, was enjoying (and behaving) themselves and the jovial atmosphere in the large golden hall was infectious to anyone who entered and everyone seemed eager to brush shoulders with the future Queen of one of the richest of the Seven Kingdoms.<p>

Shizuru inwardly sighed as her eyes scanned the room- it appeared that the Artai party weren't quite so impressive with their timekeeping skills as they were in the fighting arena! _Surely this is beyond 'fashionably late', even by my standards_ Shizuru thought as behind her rather elaborately designed mask, she raised her eyebrows in annoyance. Or was it perhaps anticipation? She wasn't quite sure and thanked the gods that her mask was large enough to cover the reddish tinge of her cheeks as she admitted it to herself that yes, she was indeed starting to feel the nerves kick in.

"Shizuru dear, are you still with us?"

Shizuru jumped slightly; startled by her mother's voice and the warm touch of her mother's hand upon her skin.

"Ara, Kannin na I was admiring the scene Mother. Truly I never thought to see so many people here tonight."

The Queen smiled at her daughter as she too gazed around the room at the smiling faces "Indeed, this room has been rather empty of late since your dear father passed away."

Shizuru's smile faltered slightly as she thought back to the days of her youth, the great King of Cardair, the most handsome and gentle man Shizuru ever knew. He had been taken from her all too quickly. One minute she was gleefully waiting for the day that she was free from her rigid bonds set by her father and the next? The next day the only thing she wanted was to see his face, hear her name on his lips and see his incredible crimson eyes light up whenever he saw his beloved and only daughter. He never once bemoaned the fact that she had been born a daughter and not a son, she had been raised the cherished only child of Akihiko Fujino- the brightest prince and the most highly exalted King that Cardair ever had.

"He truly liked a party didn't he? He would be so proud to host the tournament- it was always a dream of his." Shizuru remarked, trying to blink away the tears that threatened to fall from her eyes.

"He did and yes he would have been. And I suppose he is, wherever he is watching us from." Queen Aiko took a deep breath and gasped as something in the corner of the room caught her attention and so she tightly grabbed a hold of Shizuru's arm "Ara... Eiji, would you be so kind as to announce the arrival of the party from Artai."

Those closest to the royal hosts gasped and immediately turned to face the large group that entered the room. Many seemed to back further away from the latecomers as they walked further into the room. Meanwhile Natsuki, kitted in her dress uniform of the Artai military rolled her eyes as she saw in particular one couple stand shocked and still as one of her party took from the husband's hand a goblet of wine and down it in one.

"Nice shit this stuff your highness. Can I keep it?" The large man called out to his princess as he held the comparatively miniscule goblet in his hand.

"You know me better than to tell you what to do Iwao... you do what you like." Natsuki grumbled as she fingered the cloth of her lapel and watched as the large man searched for a pocket large enough to fit the goblet in it.

"Hey Natsuki?" Nao asked as she nudged her friend in the side.

"What?" Natsuki grumbled as she turned to look at her friend.

"You know how I said that they skimped on the reception earlier by the docks?"

"Yeah. So?"

"I think I preferred that reception to this one. They look like we just butchered their grandmothers!"

Natsuki gulped nervously as she took a look at the crowd forming a rather large and distant circle around them "I don't think smiling at them is going to help is it?"

"Your Majesty and our Most Glorious Princess of Hearts, Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present the party from the Nation of Artai... welcome champions!" Cried the announcer as he made way for the Queen to take her place on the podium from where she could see each face in the crowd.

"On the behalf of myself, my family and my countrymen, I welcome each and every one of you to Cardair and to the Seven Kingdoms Tournament. Please... enjoy yourselves tonight!"

Nao arched a brow- incredibly unimpressed with the atmosphere, clearly they were going to be kept on edge all night with the way these people stared at them.

"So, I think ten minutes should be enough. Shake a few hands, slap a few asses and then kidnap a few maids and call it a night? Natsuki? Twatsuki are you even listening?"

"Nao..." The young princess started as she grabbed tightly onto her friends sleeve.

"What?"

"There she is." Nao followed Natsuki's gaze and gritted her teeth in anger when she saw what had reduced her friend to a blithering idiot... or more of an idiot anyway!

"Shizuru."

* * *

><p><strong>Ok, again, very little Shizuru-ness in this one but... stick with me people. I'm working on it! Also (and this little tidbit has been added after a couple of reviews and one particular PM) I have created a web of deception here folks and I promise there's a reason for all the madness concerning how quick Shizuru and Natsuki were locking lips. You'll see later on in the next chapters that rushing these two has never been my intention... as it is with practically every story I've ever written :P Also, I threw a massive hissy fit and decided to get rid of the honorifics that I'd used previously- it would have been far simpler for my pea-sized brain to comprehend! <strong>

**Many thanks and again, much love and until the next time,**

**Tiny.**

**Another little note because it's been bugging me... I wrote this story before I ever started watching Game of Thrones, so the fact that there are 7 Kingdoms in both the GoT universe and this one is PURELY COINCIDENTAL! Also... does anyone else have a tendency to drool all over the place when Daenerys comes on screen or is it just me?**


	3. Eyes on the Prize

**A/N: Afternoon folks... you remember me don't you?**

**Just thought that with my sudden boost of energy and creativity that I'd post this tidbit for you all to read. At half 2 yesterday afternoon I decided to scrap everything I had written for this third chapter and start again. So with the help of coffee, disney soundtracks and boredom, I managed to squeeze out a new chapter!**

**Work is still going on with Chapter 14 of Bite Me Sensei, maybe I'll even consider posting a new chapter to Breaking Natsuki! as well whilst I'm at it... it's been quite a while since I touched that one (whoops!)**

**Anyway I hope you enjoy, please feel free to RnR. All reviews and favourites are greatly appreciated and they mean the world to me.**

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><p><em>Chapter 3: Eyes on the Prize<em>

_Present day- Artai Dungeons._

Chie rubbed her tired eyes and then sighed as she sat back in the chair. How long had she been in this cell for? Chie had no idea but she knew that several hours had passed and they were nowhere near the end.

_Near the end huh? The only way this story ends is when the sword strikes... and Natsuki..._ Chie hung her head low and closed her eyes tightly for it was a thought that she neither had the strength nor the will to finish, for the words stung as they pierced her heart. For the first time since the sentencing, the young scribe truly felt the deep pit in her stomach grow and her nerves gnaw at her from the inside- she didn't want to imagine what her friend was going through.

Chie angrily shook her head as she tried to shake the thoughts away, for what good was it going to do and set about continuing in her entrusted task "I bet it was good to see each other again... after all those years?" the young scribe asked with a large smile as she turned to face the young princess. Chie's smile faltered as it went unmatched as Natsuki took a deep breath and turned her head up to face the ceiling.

"I suppose it was... in a way" was all the young woman could manage. If she closed her eyes, she could still see them all looking at her, studying her and her comrades as they entered the ballroom. She could have been surrounded by the gods and heroes from the legends that her mother read to her as a child, but the feeling of fear and exhilaration could never have matched the feeling that spread through Natsuki's body like wildfire when for the first time in nine years, their eyes met from across the crowd.

Memories of the kiss and the passionate embraces they had shared came flooding back with all the force of an unrelenting hurricane and it had knocked Natsuki back to her fifteen year old self with one glance of those ruby red eyes.

"You suppose?" Chie asked tentatively as she gazed up from her scribbles.

"I was happy to see her, in a way... I just wasn't prepared for what happened next. It had been nine years since we had first met and I should have been a little more than just happy to see her again but all I could think about was my brother" Natsuki rested her chin atop her crossed arms, perched on her knees and resisted meeting her friend's gaze "the day Haruki died was the day we first met."

* * *

><p><em>Aries- 9 years earlier.<em>

"All I'm saying is that it isn't normal."

"Ara, and what does Natsuki Kuga know of what is and what isn't 'normal', they're distinctive are they not?"

Natsuki smirked as she flicked her hair over her shoulder and tried to look in every direction but straight ahead at the heartbreakingly beautiful girl in front of her. She had to admit- Shizuru's blood-red eyes were naturally quite distinctive and would prove to be hard to forget in a hurry.

"I guess you're right" the younger girl mumbled as she shut her eyes and lay back on the grass below as she enjoyed feeling the warmth of the Aries sun, trying to ignore the feeling of a thousand butterflies in her stomach and the strange tingling sensation in her lips.

"How can anyone have eyes that colour anyway?"

"Ara ara, and I thought I was going to get a few minutes of peace." Shizuru smiled as she opened one ruby eye in the direction of the young cadet, who was propped up on one elbow as she stared at the girl beside her "My father gave them to me. He used to tell me as a child that when his great grandmother was expecting his grandmother, she used to lie in the shade of the maple trees in her garden to feel the baby move in her belly. One day, one of the falling leaves landed on her stomach... the colour of our eyes came from the ruby red colour of the leaf that fell. Or so my father had me believe of course."

"Hmmm" was the only noise that passed Natsuki's lips as she took a minute to think about Shizuru's story "it's a nice story I guess, not that I'm going to believe it for a second though."

"I know that deep down, Natsuki isn't as cold hearted as she appears to be" Shizuru chuckled softly at the voice of cynicism next to her; however a steady and dull beat drew her attention away from her new acquaintance "Ne... Natsuki? Do you hear that?" Shizuru asked as she straightened her back and listened closely, pressing her fingers to Natsuki's lips before the younger girl could make a sound as she sat up on her elbows.

"Sounds like drums" Natsuki mumbled as she gently moved Shizuru's fingers from her lips and listened closer, furrowing her brow as she tried to work out the rhythm "and horses coming in fast. Stay here."

Before Shizuru could blink, Natsuki had pushed her way through the low hanging branches and shrubbery, not caring about how many rips she had inflicted upon her uniform. There was an uneasy feeling in her gut as she pushed her way through to the other side, for a moment she had completely forgotten about the strange crimson-eyed girl and instead felt a shiver of fear as she saw the familiar black and red chequered banner of her father's men approaching the Academy gates at speed.

"My father's men... what are they doing here?" she muttered to herself out loud, she had no idea that she wasn't standing there alone and suddenly became all too aware of Shizuru's presence.

"Those flags are of the Royal Family of Artai" Shizuru said softly as her gaze drifted from the soldiers to the young girl to her left "they're your soldiers aren't they?" Shizuru asked, although Natsuki had suspected that Shizuru already knew the answer.

"What the hell is going on?" Without a single glance, Natsuki broke into a sprint across the grass, completely oblivious to Shizuru's cries to wait for her as she followed, but failed in her struggle to keep up to the young Cadet.

It wasn't too long before Natsuki reached the courtyard where the soldiers awaited, dismounted and breathless from what had appeared to be a long and swift ride.

Natsuki's emerald eyes searched the band of soldiers for a familiar face and sighed in relief when she caught sight of her father's younger brother.

"Uncle" Natsuki spoke through a soft smile at the older man, however the smile faded as it went unreturned. The older man, seen as the embodiment of what it meant to be a soldier of Artai, with thick, muscled arms and a strong broad chest appeared a mere shadow of the towering man Natsuki knew and admired.

Natsuki watched with fear as the usually gruff old man appeared to wipe away a tear, away before it could fall "Natsuki... Natsuki I-" he stuttered as he pulled his niece closer to him and kept his large hands on her shoulders for only a moment before Natsuki shrugged them off.

"What. Is. It?" She hissed impatiently.

* * *

><p><em>Present Day- Artai Dungeons.<em>

She didn't really remember listening to all that her uncle had told her- she had heard the most important bits. Her brother's ship had been taken captive by pirates sailing from Carlteya and he, at only 25, had his life ended all too soon. He had been promised mercy from his captors and his captors broke their word.

She remembered that despite being told all the horror her brother had encountered, not a single tear fell. Not even when she told Nao as she clutched onto her brother's last present to her- his treasured sword. She remembered asking to be left alone as she refused to be drawn into her lover's arms, and instead sought solitude upon the cliffside, watching as the waves smashed against the rocks below.

She remembered screaming at the top of her lungs as she fell to her knees, sinking further onto the ground below before she felt a pair of arms encircle her waist and pull her into an embrace. She didn't struggle as she felt her body collapse into the warmth and the comfort the embrace had brought. She knew exactly who it had been and silently thanked the gods for sending Shizuru to her- even if it had meant taking Haruki away from her.

Natsuki closed her viridian eyes once more, she would remember the way Shizuru had smelt that day until the day she died... and then she mentally winced as she remembered that it was only going to be until tomorrow.

Chie watched curiously as her friend chuckled quietly with her eyes closed- clearly there was some sort of inside joke or something that Chie had missed, and the young scribe was hesitant to ask.

With the mirth having simmered down, Natsuki opened her eyes and stared up at the ceiling "It didn't even occur to me at the time who she was, at that point I wouldn't have cared anyway... but she knew me. Not like Nao, Mai, You or... Haruki. She knew more about me in those few moments than Nao had in a lifetime of us knowing each other. She didn't need to say anything or try to help, she just knew exactly what I needed at that moment in time and she did it. I will never stop being grateful to Shizuru for what she did for me on that day. I guess I really will be going to grave being thankful to her."

There was something in the way that the young princess spoke that made the young scribe quake in fear, she feared so much for her friend and she couldn't possibly imagine what Natsuki was feeling. How was it possible, Chie thought, for anyone to really look so relaxed and carefree, all the while knowing that they were going to die at dawn the next day?

_How could anyone prepare for their own death? Would I be this calm? _

Chie shook her head, mentally answering her own question... no, she most definitely wouldn't be.

"What happened next?"

Natsuki sighed as she turned to face her friend and met her friend's stare "Someone saw Shizuru head off towards the cliffs and reported back to her guardians at the time of what they had seen. Shizuru was immediately carried away back to Cardair and..."

Chie lifted her gaze to stare at the young prisoner "And...?"

"That's when the world turned to shit. That's when the wars began, it's when her father died and their kingdom was left without a King."

It had been easy to forget that Natsuki hadn't been the only one to lose someone dear to her. At the time she had been utterly wrapped up in avenging her brother's murder, she had lost her lover and her best friend in Nao as she pushed her away and she felt herself be consumed by a deep and dark pit for which she saw no escape from.

As far as she had been aware, the wars had existed in a completely different world and had nothing to do with her fight for justice for her brother's soul- the events during the wars didn't interest or concern Natsuki.

Naturally, however, that had been very far from the case. For almost a year, Artai and Carlteya had been at war with each other with Artai pressing the advantage before Carlteya called upon its ancient ally, Cardair, for help. Duty bound to accept the call for help and with the honour of his country at stake, as well as the urging of his own military chiefs, the King of Cardair led the last charge into battle and fell. With a heavy heart and conscience, with the scratch of pen against parchment the War of the Winter Kings had ended and a new peace treaty was put into effect after Cardair's King took his last breath... with the urging of his beloved daughter, Shizuru.

From that moment on, those countries who had been at war and suffered terrible losses were once again friends and a fragile peace was born. Natsuki had forged out her career and reputation as a fierce warrior and Shizuru was hailed as a peacekeeper across the breadth of the Seven Kingdoms. The War of the Winter Kings now existed only in memory.

_The War of the Winter Kings huh? Stupid name... two of the three kings lived in summery countries _Natsuki mused as she shook her head.

"What happened on the night of the reception? Did you see Shizuru there?"

Natsuki smiled softly "Yeah... we saw her there alright. She was as beautiful as I had imagined she would have grown up to be."

* * *

><p><em>One year ago- Kingdom of Cardair.<em>

"Twat-suki, are you even listening to me?"

A sharp jab in her ribs soon brought the young princess out of her daze and Natsuki was soon reminded of her surroundings... and those surrounding her. Now was most definitely not the place nor the time to get caught in a dream.

"Say again Nao?"

"I said that we had better go up and see the Queen, everyone is staring at us and some of our gang are starting to get a little... twitchy" Nao whispered close to Natsuki's ear as her lime green eyes scanned the room, and saw a lot of fearful eyes staring right back at her.

"Aye, I guess we should" Natsuki swallowed hard, her words began to get stuck in her throat, her hands began to shake and a bead of sweat coursed down the back of her neck. She had been both nervously and excitedly anticipating this moment, she had played it in her mind a thousand times since their arrival not too long ago in Cardair. She pictured herself passing through the crowds, bowing to the Queen and then moving in front of the Princess and finally seeing those entrancing eyes once more.

"Come on Nao, let's go."

Seeing that Natsuki seemed to have trouble grasping the concept of walking, Nao hissed impatiently "If we're going to go, you need to start moving... your legs, Natsuki, move them or so help me I'll go up and kiss the Princess right in front of you and her damn mother!"

At that, Natsuki spun around and gave her eldest friend a look that would have had most men running for the hills of Aries, but with a pointed look from Nao, Natsuki's legs finally remembered their purpose.

Meanwhile, from behind her mask, Shizuru watched intently as her gaze rested upon the young soldier she had been so desperate to meet again. She watched as Natsuki and her companion- who she distinctly remembered as being the youngest General to ever serve in the National Army of Artai- made their way towards her and her mother the Queen.

_It's not even as if they need to push through the crowds, everyone is giving them a wide berth... are they really that frightening_ Shizuru mused as she saw partygoers and nobles alike step aside several paces. As the Princess took a quick glance at the sheer size of some of the soldiers from Artai, Shizuru's eyes widened a fraction and completely understood why many in the room gulped in fear.

Sparing herself a moment from watching Natsuki and the General as they walked towards them, Shizuru turned her head to face her mother and was met with a small and soft smile "And so here they come my dear, my word... what a beautiful woman she has become no?" Her mother spoke quietly enough only for Shizuru to hear and the Queen's eyes never once left Natsuki's face.

"Indeed Mother... a very beautiful woman" Shizuru said, almost to herself as she pressed a hand to above her breast and felt her heartbeat quicken as a jolt of adrenaline shot through her body. She couldn't believe that after all this time, after all the hardships in the years between, she was moments away from being reunited with the person she had dreamt of every night from when she was merely 16. Even after the death of her father, she was comforted at night by a vision of the Natsuki that she remembered.

When they were only a matter of a metre or so apart, Natsuki and Nao waited for the herald to announce them once more to the two royals in front of them, and once the elder gentleman had finished, the Princess of Artai and her General bowed low.

"Rise, please your highness, for I am overcome with happiness to see you once more and to welcome yourself and your party to my little country" Queen Aiko beamed a friendly smile as she gestured for her two guests to rise and beckoned them closer "Please let me look at you Princess Natsuki, it has been so many years since I last saw you."

Natsuki took a deep breath before taking a step closer to the Queen "Your Majesty" she replied in a slightly gruff tone as she allowed herself to be examined by Queen Aiko. She could definitely tell where Shizuru got her good looks from as she too studied the elder woman's face; Shizuru was very much a likeness of her mother, apart from the eyes which, Natsuki remembered, had been passed on by Shizuru's late father.

"Ah yes, there is a lot of your mother in you... looking at you, it's almost as if I was a younger girl again and I was standing with my dear friend Saeko. Did you know your mother and I grew up together Natsuki?"

For the first time that evening, Natsuki allowed herself to smile and she remembered hearing her mother's stories of growing up in the court of Cardair and all the trouble that she and the soon-to-be Queen had got up to when they had been young "She used to tell me about you when I was growing up Your Majesty before she died, she always spoke of you fondly and with... and with great affection."

Aiko smiled sadly as she stroked Natsuki's chin "I'm sure she did, I also heard that you seemed to inherit her rather rebellious streak when you were growing up." Shizuru watched intently as Natsuki seemed to blush and stiffen slightly at her mother's touch and had to resist teasing Natsuki. Only for the time being... she was sure to make time to tease Natsuki later on.

"I am sure my friend would be extremely proud of her daughter and I am certain that she continues to watch over us all" Aiko pulled her hand away from the young princess' cheek and stole a glance at her own daughter "Now, I would to introduce to you my own daughter, Shizuru. Shizuru come here to me and meet Natsuki dear."

For a moment, Natsuki felt her chest constrict and unable to breathe, and looked back to Nao in a brief moment of panic. She had thus far refused to look at the beautiful woman next to the Queen and beneath the mask, but now she was going to be within a few feet from her. She suddenly felt extremely lightheaded.

Before Natsuki- or Shizuru- knew, their eyes met and just for an instant, the pair of them were completely oblivious to the world around them. Natsuki- Shizuru noted- looked even more beautiful up close and the Cardair woman felt her heart skip a beat as they were close enough for her to see the sparkle in Natsuki's emerald green eyes. It was exactly the same look in her eyes as when the two of them had met. Shizuru, Natsuki thought, looked absolutely incredible in her white and purple dress, trimmed with gold and leaving a shoulder bare. It took all of Natsuki's inner strength to resist taking Shizuru in her arms and kissing her bare skin then and there.

"Princess Natsuki" Shizuru bowed her head softly as she smiled at the dark haired girl in front of her and watched with amusement as she spotted a slight red tinge to Natsuki's cheeks. It seemed almost as if Natsuki was trying very hard to not look at Shizuru at all.

"Princess" Natsuki stumbled as she awkwardly returned the gesture; she could practically hear all the teases that she knew Nao would lay on her later already and so kept her gaze on practically anything other than the Princess.

By this point, however, Nao was extremely bored and had quickly lost any interest she had shown in meeting the royals, and had resorted instead to scoping out for any servant girls or noblewomen that she could take off with. However, with practically every young woman wearing a veil or a mask over their face, it seemed like Nao probably wasn't going to be seeing much action tonight. _Unless Natsuki's up for it I guess... no, she'd be too busy crooning over her little princess to want to get laid. I wonder which one of these women is that Hinata girl, she sounded cute... I'll be damned, they all look like same. _

Nao sighed and bit the inside of her cheek as she watched her friend. The Queen was once more talking Natsuki's ear off it seemed about the tournament and what Natsuki thought about their chances, especially considering how large some of the competitors from Artai were.

_Our guys will pound yours into the dust, just you wait and see_ Nao had wanted to add as she watched two of her own men tower over, what appeared to be a finely dressed, tiny little lordling with spectacles who seemed to have a superiority complex. _That moron is just asking for a beating if he keeps poking Jun like that... he's dumber than Natsuki is._

"And is your companion to fight in the Tournament also?" Nao had heard Shizuru ask, as all eyes were firmly fixed on bored General.

Natsuki shook her head "No, Nao is... umm..."

"- on a much promised break from fighting and winning tournaments Princess, it's only fair to Natsuki to be allowed to win something every once in a while. Isn't that right Natsuki?!" Nao interrupted as she jokingly punched Natsuki on the shoulder, raising a few eyebrows, especially among the Queen and her daughter.

"Ara, I was unaware that the two of you knew each other well enough to be so familiar with each other" Shizuru remarked, feeling her blood boil a little after witnessing that punch and seeing how blasé the General's attitude towards her Princess was.

"Ah yeah, Nao and I grew up together as well. She was brought up in the Palace with my brothers and me." Natsuki added as she desperately tried to avoid meeting Shizuru's gaze, deliberately trying not to think of either of her brothers and finding it quite difficult, especially whilst being in the presence of the one person who reminded her the most of them.

"She's putting it kindly; my father was a lord who served on her father's council. My mama still serves in the King's household. I was practically dragged up, not really brought up... I even shot Natsuki in the foot once, plus I think there are still a few dents in her skull from where I hit her with things as children" Nao joked as she studied the surprisingly smiling face the Princess and decided to play a bit dirty "Plus we both went to the Academy in Aries together and shared a room".

For a moment, Shizuru was taken aback by the look of danger in Nao's eyes and the slight hint of malice in her voice, however she quickly recovered herself and allowed herself to smile and nod along "I remember the Academy very well, you remember Mother? We went there on a tour once many years ago."

Queen Aiko matched her daughters smile "I certainly do Shizuru" she said with a soft, almost inaudible sigh before turning back to Natsuki "Now my dears I'm afraid the hour grows quite late and I must excuse myself and retire for the evening. We certainly have a long fortnight ahead of us and all of us need to keep up our strength for the coming days... especially you Natsuki."

Natsuki nodded softly and smiled briefly at the Queen "We had better go as well, it has been a long journey and my soldiers need to rest. As do I."

"Goodnight Princess, General, I look forward to seeing you both again and look forward to the spectacle you'll be giving us. Goodnight. Shizuru, will you accompany me?" The Queen asked as she gently rested a hand on her daughter's arm.

In all honesty, Shizuru was anything but ready to leave, especially as she so desperately wanted to spend time alone with Natsuki. However with Natsuki's refusal to meet her gaze once, apart from the very beginning of the evening, and her insistence on only speaking to Nao or Shizuru's mother, Shizuru suddenly felt the pang of fear in her stomach and her heart.

Maybe her fears had come true, maybe Natsuki didn't know who she was and what had passed between them.

With her mind made up, Shizuru turned to Natsuki and the young General and was very careful to mask her surprise to see Natsuki staring straight at her "I suppose that this is goodnight... Princess Natsuki, General. I look forward to seeing your performances in the arena over the next fortnight."

Natsuki frowned in confusion slightly and felt the bitter sting of disappointment in her gut "You're leaving already?" she asked quietly as she instinctively took a step closer to Shizuru.

_Come on Natsuki, why should she stay? For your thrilling conversation? _Natsuki scolded herself mentally and felt rather uneasy all of a sudden. Was she feeling guilty perhaps? She didn't intend to ignore Shizuru this entire time and now, she couldn't stand the thought of the older woman leaving.

Shizuru however, was unable to keep the suspicion and the coldness from her voice as she quirked a brow "Yes... although I hope, I hope we will see each other again soon. Goodnight."

And with that she was gone, hastily brushing past the young Artai princess and leaving a stunned- and very confused- Natsuki in her wake as she joined her mother in leaving the ballroom and their guests.

"Did... Did that just happen?" Natsuki asked quietly as she stood, still staring in the direction that Shizuru had left in "Didn't she seem kinda happy earlier?"

Nao snorted as she propped herself up against a giant stone column, picked the dirt from her nails and flicked it away "Sometimes you are so dense that it must hurt you."

"Huh?"

Nao rolled her eyes "Oh wow... you really have no idea. Natsuki, you ignored her the entire time we were up there. You practically stuck yourself to the Queen when you spoke to her."

Natsuki scoffed and shook her head with disbelief, even though she begrudgingly knew that her friend was right- but there was no way she'd ever admit it "Respectfully Nao, you have your head up your ass... I didn't ignore her, I spoke to her." She spoke as she crossed her arms across her chest and hoped the bluff would work... although she didn't know why she was even trying.

"Twat-suki, even I spoke more than you to her and you know how I feel about her. Plus, I even managed to do it all without even mentioning the damn weather too" Nao pushed herself off the pillar, brusquely barging past Natsuki and making sure to give her oldest friend a good hard nudge with her shoulder as she did so.

"Hey!" Natsuki called out to Nao's back as her friend stormed out "Where are you going?"

"To bed dumbass, teaching you basic human interactions is exhausting!" Nao yelled back as she spun on her heel and carried on heading towards her chambers "Stupid idiot, moans all day about seeing the damn woman again and when it comes to meeting her, she goes all 'Ice Queen' on her. Idiot" Nao muttered to herself under her breath as she headed towards the rest of 'the Artai Party'.

"Daisuke... gather up the rest of the gang and head for the barracks, get some sleep."

"Sure thing General." With a nod from the gruff and, quite frankly enormous, elder soldier, the rest of the warriors from Artai made their way to the barracks, under the watchful eye of their Princess from the balcony above them.

With nobody else she knew in the ballroom, or nobody she even wanted to know there, Natsuki made her way through the labyrinth of the castle, but with the never ending corridors and stairwells, it wasn't long before Natsuki was hopelessly lost.

_Which way did Nao go? Damn it, this is just ridiculous _Natsuki ran her fingers through her hair as she searched for a way out of the maze she had found herself in _I bet whoever built this damn castle is really damn proud of themselves. Are those doors over there? _Natsuki wondered as she walked over to a pair of eloquently decorated glass doors.

Gripping and pushing down the brass handle, Natsuki stepped out into what seemed to be a rose garden... however, in the absence of much light apart from that of the full moon and the stars, it was hard to spot the different types or colours. One thing she did notice was the amazing smell that filled the air and that she could quite clearly hear the sound of waves breaking at the base of the palace. It seemed that everything about this place reminded her somehow of her brother, he was never too far away from her thoughts and even when Natsuki had been with the Princess and the Queen, she found her thoughts drifting towards Haruki. He would have known how to act and what to say in front of other royalty, he would have been able to entertain anyone with his good looks and his charm.

_And me? I ignore people and get so nervous I can't even speak properly... maybe Nao is right, I'm stupid enough for it to even hurt _Natsuki pondered quietly as she stepped towards the balcony overlooking the beach front.

With her head raised, Natsuki's emerald eyes scanned the night sky and smiled as she spotted the brightest star in the sky- the one they called the Crone, the star that guided all sailors home to their wives. With a sudden breeze from the sea, Natsuki closed her eyes as she pulled her overcoat even tighter around her and for a moment, she felt completely at ease.

However it wasn't too long before a noise of shifting sand below the balcony caught Natsuki's attention, as her eyes shot open and she carefully leaned over the balcony edge. It didn't take her long to realise that she was not alone in escaping to the shore tonight and from the way the light of the moon reflected off the person's features, and how the breeze coursed through her hair, Natsuki knew exactly who it was down there.

"Shizuru" Natsuki whispered as she continued to marvel at the sight of the most beautiful woman she had ever met, watching the way that the breeze caused the sheer material of Shizuru's dress to cling tightly to her body.

With her mind made up, Natsuki searched for a way to get down to join the older woman and she smiled to herself as she found a staircase, carved out of the rock the Palace stood on and she made her way down the stairs, treading carefully as to not make a sound.

As she stepped closer, the smell of the ocean was overpowered by the intoxicating scent of the chestnut haired woman, who stood still and with her eyes shut as she faced the sea. Natsuki was thankful that the sound of the waves hitting the rocks had drowned out the sounds of her boots crunching in the sand. _She's not wearing her mask? She looks so peaceful..._Natsuki mused as she continued to gaze at the beautiful sight in front of her.

"Don't you know it's incredibly rude to sneak up somebody?"

Natsuki jumped out of her skin as she clutched a hand to her chest and took a deep breath, she smiled as Shizuru opened her eyes and smiled wickedly at the younger woman "You knew I was there? For how long?"

Shizuru smiled softly "Not for very long, you have a very distinctive scent you know? It was very easy to work out who it was." Shizuru turned away from Natsuki and continued to watch the water break against the sand. Natsuki didn't say a word as she realised what was resting beside Shizuru's feet, slowly she bent down and picked up the ornately decorated mask and sighed softly.

"I thought Cardair Royals were forbidden to walk around without their masks on" Natsuki mused as she dusted off the sand "although I suppose... when we first met in Aries you weren't wearing either."

Shizuru spun around to face the younger girl, her eyes widened in surprise as she struggled to find the words "You... you remember me? I thought- I thought that you didn't know who I was?" Shizuru asked as she took a step closer to Natsuki.

Natsuki ran her fingers through her hair as she resisted smirking at the look on Shizuru's face "It took me a couple of years to figure it all out but... I knew who you were when we met earlier. Even behind this thing-" Natsuki said as she held up Shizuru's mask and dangled it on one finger "- I could spot you among a hundred others, your eyes are quite distinctive you know."

Shizuru quirked a brow, she remembered exactly a similar sort of conversation many years ago and shot Natsuki a sly smile "Ara, I suppose you may be right. Although, mine aren't quite as forgettable as the green eyes of a certain young cadet I met many years ago."

Natsuki rolled her eyes and snorted before she felt her lips pull into a smile; the older woman's smile was infectious and just as infuriatingly addictive as Natsuki remembered "You haven't changed much... Shizuru. You are still as annoying as ever."

Shizuru gasped in mock offense as she put a hand on her chest "And I see that you haven't changed either, although" she said more seriously as she brushed back a strand of loose hair from Natsuki's face and tucked it behind the younger woman's ear "you have definitely grown up a lot Natsuki."

Natsuki sighed sadly as she backed away slightly from Shizuru "Yeah well, a lot has happened in the last nine years Shizuru... we both grew up and we both had to grow up quickly."

Shizuru's gaze followed Natsuki as she watched the younger girl turn to face the sea and sit down- resting her clasped arms on her knees- on the sand below them. Without a moment's hesitation, Shizuru smoothed down her dress and knelt in the sand beside the young warrior.

"I'm sorry for the loss of your father Shizuru, I never met him but... he sounded like a good man and I know that a lot of people, including myself and my father, respected him. Strictly speaking we may have been enemies once but, he was still a great king and a great father" Natsuki spoke softly as she turned to the woman beside her. Shizuru felt her heart skip a beat as she kept her eyes focused on the water and then the moon, she felt a tear run down her cheek, but before it could fall freely, she felt Natsuki tenderly brush it away.

"Thank you... Natsuki. It means a lot to hear you say that."

"Anytime."

The two sat in silence for quite a while as they looked out to sea and just felt content to sit with each other, when a thought suddenly struck Shizuru and as she turned to face Natsuki, she couldn't help but stare at the peaceful silhouette of the young woman.

_I suppose quizzing her on her friend can wait for now_ Shizuru thought as she ran a finger through the soft sand; she could still feel the heat of the sun on her fingertips as well as the familiar feel of green eyes watching her.

"I'm sorry for what happened earlier Shizuru, I didn't mean to be so rude to you- especially in front of your own mother. I guess I was a bit more nervous than I thought I would be." Natsuki added as she nervously scratched the back of her neck.

_She was nervous? About what I wonder _Shizuru thought as she watched the younger girl with curiosity, apparently Natsuki liked to fidget and fiddle with stuff when she got nervous "You have nothing to apologise for. I was equally as nervous too, but I am very glad that I got the chance to talk to Natsuki again tonight."

"Hmm, well. I always heard that Cardair was a beautiful country... they really weren't kidding. It's amazing in comparison to Artai. No wonder my mother loved it growing up here."

"Your mother was very much loved by the people here, many didn't want her to leave. My mother and father were definitely some of them."

Natsuki hummed in agreement as she thought back to the stories her mother told her of how she grew up in the exotic and beautiful court of Cardair. Natsuki's grandfather on her mother's side had acted as the ambassador from Artai, but had been based primarily in Cardair. Shizuru's mother, then only the heir to the throne, had been schooled and brought up with Saeko. The two remained close friends even when they were both married and crowned Queen, and they stayed friends until Saeko's death when Natsuki was only 7 years of age.

"Natsuki, did you know that you've been to Cardair before?"

Natsuki frowned in confusion "No. When? I don't remember that."

Shizuru chuckled at the adorable little frown on Natsuki's face "You wouldn't remember, you were only a year old when your mother and father brought you here. If it helps, I didn't know this either until a few moments after I left with my mother. Apparently you slept through the entire procession held in your honour and then when you woke up, you refused to settle down apart from when my father let you play with a little wooden sword."

"Oh" Natsuki smiled sheepishly as she gulped "Well that's not embarrassing at all huh?"

"I beg to differ. I think it's a very Natsuki thing to do."

"Oh? And you know me that well do you?" Natsuki asked- half-jokingly- as she turned to face the kneeling Princess, and realised just how close in proximity they actually were sitting, and yet neither dared move away.

"I like to think I do, I know that you are brave, fiercely loyal and devoted to your friends and family. And I know that I'd like to know you better." Shizuru finished with a smile as she edged closer.

Natsuki felt her pulse quicken once more as she became all too aware of how close they were and just how incredibly seductive anything the elder woman said sounded in her accent. She knew just how dangerous this game they were playing was and with a heavy heart, she pulled herself away and picked herself up off the floor "I err... well I'm here for two weeks, I guess we shall see each other again. But for now I think it would be best if we headed back inside, no doubt people will end up wondering where you are" Natsuki finished nervously as she brushed the sand off her dress pants and smoothed off her uniform. _Come on Natsuki she probably didn't mean to say it like that, stop freaking out and help her up!_

Shizuru's mask slipped when, once more, she was left utterly surprised and confused by the younger girl's actions. However after gracefully accepting a helping hand up from the dark haired girl, Shizuru dusted herself free of all the sand the folds of her dress had collected "Yes I imagine we will see each other soon" she agreed "Natsuki have I done or said anything to offend you?"

Natsuki halted in her tracks and looked at the older woman. Even in without much light, she could clearly see the worry etched on Shizuru's face and Natsuki closed her eyes and shook her head "No I just- I just realised how late it is and forgot that tomorrow is a big day" Natsuki lied.

Shizuru, suspecting that Natsuki hadn't been entirely honest with her, just smiled and nodded her head "It certainly is getting late, would you like any help in finding your room?"

_Yes _"No thanks, I'm sure I'll find it, how big could this place be huh?" Natsuki shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly as she waved goodbye to the Princess and called over her shoulder "Goodnight Shizuru."

"Goodnight... my Natsuki." Shizuru finished as she watched the woman she adored walk away from her and enter the Palace.

_Ara... what an eventful evening that turned out to be._

* * *

><p>After deciding to swallow her pride and ask a guard for directions before she went insane, Natsuki soon found her chambers once more and she rolled her eyes when she found a familiar sight outside her room; Nao curled up into a ball and sleeping soundly against the door.<p>

With a sharp kick on the leg, Nao stirred back to life with a jolt and a few choice curses "You couldn't have woken me up a bit nicer huh?"

"I wouldn't have had to wake you up at all if you weren't blocking my door" Natsuki grumbled as she roughly pulled her friend to her feet and shoved her out of the way of the door "Why were you sleeping in front of my room?"

Nao just yawned and shrugged her shoulders "I figured you'd want to leave as soon as I did. I thought about going in and trashing all your stuff as you were taking so long." _Plus I was pissed off and need to blow off some steam if you fancy it? _Nao was about to add before a thought crossed her mind "Where were you?"

Natsuki glared at Nao as she opened the door to the room and started to get herself undressed "I went for a walk-"

"You mean you got yourself lost?" Nao interrupted and stepped aside to dodge the leather boot thrown at her head.

"- I went on a walk! Anyway... I found this garden overlooking the beach below and I met Shizuru there."

Nao clenched her jaw shut as she felt her desire for sex quickly start to vanish altogether and then shrugged off the tiny little feelings of jealousy surfacing under her skin "Oh, you didn't screw her did you? Not that I'd care if you did."

Fortunately for her, Natsuki was too busy concentrating on getting ready to go to sleep and didn't seem to care at all as Nao continued to watch her getting undressed. After all, it wasn't anything that Nao hadn't seen before over the years- many times the two had shared each other's bed when loneliness on a mission had set in and they both knew that there was no danger of old feelings reappearing.

"No we just talked is all." Natsuki said as she turned to face her friend and pull her shirt over her head, before discarding it carelessly onto the floor.

"About her marriage to Reito perhaps? After all, isn't that what you're only supposed to be talking to her about?"

Natsuki glared at her friend as she studied Nao's face- it was extremely scary seeing the young redhead looking so serious. However Natsuki growled in annoyance as she rubbed her tired eyes "there's plenty of time for that Nao, we are here for two weeks to-"

"Get the girl to marry your brother Natsuki, nothing else. Focus on winning this poxy tournament and getting the girl to marry him alright? Nothing else is more important than that." Nao spoke seriously with no fear of any hidden meaning as she rested against the wooden desk near to the bed "So don't go about screwing her and this up for everybody else."

"Who said anything about screwing her Nao?" Natsuki hissed as she threw back the covers on the bed and started putting out some of the candles with a dampened thumb and index finger.

"Fine, forget I said anything." Nao spoke through a yawn as she scratched her chin "So, fancy some company tonight, if you get what I mean?"

Natsuki stopped in her tracks and looked at her friend- who looked as bored as usual- and then looked at the ceiling, pausing to chew her bottom lip. After tonight, the thought of sleeping with Nao didn't seem as appealing as it had done in the past. Not to mention, she couldn't get the thought of Shizuru out of her head and images of kissing her and almost kissing her plagued her conscience.

"No, not tonight Nao." Natsuki offered her friend a small smile and rubbed the back of her neck, watching as Nao sighed before pushing herself off the desk and making her way towards the door.

"Alright, just thought I'd offer as you seem so miserable, can't blame a girl for trying. See you in the morning Twat-suki." Nao called out to her friend as she opened the heavy door.

"Night Nao."

And with that, Natsuki was finally alone, with the exception of her thoughts and thoughts of what was to come over the next couple of weeks.

She had a feeling that winning the tournament was going to be much easier than convincing Shizuru to accept her brother's marriage proposal. It was definitely a conversation that Natsuki wasn't exactly looking forward to having, and she felt as if her stomach was doing somersaults as she felt very uneasy about what was to happen in the days ahead.

_I guess that tomorrow we will find out...won't we?!_

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I'm just going to run for cover now... well I wanted to get something posted before everyone forgot I exist o_O **

**Anyway, much love to you all and until next time,**

**Tiny.**

**xXx**


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